The Dark Knight

What is it about a superhero, that keeps us humans, so rational and logical at all times forsake those and feel awed at the glaring impossibility of the subject. Yet it pervades all cultures and transcends all civilizations across the eons of time itself. From Gilgamesh to our homemade Ramayana and Mahabharata, from the Nordic tales of Valhalla to the strange chalk paintings of the Australian aborigines, mankind sure loves a hero.

Apart from extolling the virtues that half of mankind surreptitiously chooses to turn a blind eye to, superheroes are an idea of perfection. Something that is meant to be aimed at, while being impossible to attain at the same time. A classic paradox. Yet every superhero has an alter-ego, and more often than not, a very nondescript character who doesn't attract a sideways glance. While it was a matter for deep consternation within me, the reason behind the mask, it was much later that I understood no superhero could have endured the ugliness and vacillations of mankind without a mask. It doesn't take long for the capricious mob to turn a hero into a villain.

And my vote goes for the Batman. The cape, the Batmobile, that batcave, the mansion, the riches, the playboy alter-ego, the utility belt,the Libran sense of justice and the greatest arch-enemy of them all-the Joker. Thats enough in my book any day.

New Home, Old faces

Rewind one and half years, and the last place I wanted to be in, was Bangalore. A lot of well-intentioned relatives with abnormally long noses, a city that held no surprises, and the impossibly obnoxious yuppie crowd. The only thing I could see in the positive was the impossibly temperate and soporific climate.

Now as I look back on it, Bangalore or as it has been rechristened Bengaluru is not that bad a place. I am at my antisocial best, paying a visit to my Grandpa's only when I miss the home made food. The constant penury makes sporadic visits to the pubs weigh heavy on one's wallet and a protective shield of friends makes female intrusion a probabilistic impossibility.

The abject mess that surrounds us, the dump of unwashed clothes, shoes strewn across half the hall, the stinking bags of rubbish that had to be thrown out a couple of days before should put off the majority of the population that deserve to be termed homo sapiens, yet curiously enough it is a throwback from the much reminisced past. The oft disastrous attempts at cooking, the compulsory drinks on weekends, friends dropping in all the time and the reliving of hostel life have made it an unlikely haven.

Last Minute Blast

As I begin writing this post I am acutely aware that yet another weekend has gone by. The pile of unwashed clothes keep piling up, the amount of pending work from office has gone up to a harrowing level and my copy of White Teeth is still awaiting completion. As usual, I wonder if the rules of relativity are relative for me. And as usual time has slipped by akin to coins from a torn pocket. Ans as usual nothing is new.

Nothing has changed from the days where I used to run about a headless chicken on the eve of exams. It must have been a wonderful sight to watch. A drowning man deliberating on the strength of a multitude of straws. It was a time when attending the call of nature could cost valuable marks the next day. As I graduated to a more deplorable state, where the choice was to pass or fail, the habit became more pronounced. Suddenly a game of AOE became more interesting, an elusive picture of Bill Gates daughter almost drool worthy, every message on LAN Messenger sinfully tempting and the buffer time of a HIMYM episode almost nerve jangling.

I just take solace in the fact, that there are empathizing voices all around.

Five Snaps and a Four Year Tale

We live in the past, nonetheless we vehemently protest the same. Yet there is always a fluttering of the heart, a breathless anticipation and waves of mirth rollicking inside us, when we peruse through the past. A simple device, yet the camera unleashes the real person inside us and strips one of the veneer shrouding our drab and dreary lives. Well without further ado, I present the five snaps that evoke uncounted memories and a wish to relive the moments.

1. Awesomeness descends on Koilighughur.

The journey took a shade over five hours, deep into the Maoist ridden forests of Western Orissa. The unsettling and unspoken apprehensions turned into squeals of joy,at the discovery of a pristine waterfall snuggled in the midst of a verdant and virgin forest. Four hours later, in the freezing waters, the seven people in my branch, who made the drudgery of going to class everyday a bit less tiring. Guys, the best picnic ever.

2. Gung-ho at Goa.

It took me just about a minute to decide to leave for Goa, three hours before the train would leave for Mumbai. Bankrupt, ticket-less and without making my parents any more knowledgeable, I departed for Goa to experience the best weekend of my life. Four days, crates and crates of beer, uncounted cigarettes and a healthy dose of weed later, we discovered a simple motto for life. Let the circumstances go fuck themselves, just enjoy what is on hand. Aptly summarized by our Goa tag "fir bhi chalo".

3. E_Clan-We live to game.

I will always take pride that one of the greatest gaming clans ever at NIT Rourkela was christened by by name, albeit as a joke. But E_Clan was not just another gaming clan, it was a way of life where you needed to belong rather than prove your gaming prowess. We never won a tournament, yet we left an indelible impression on the gaming legacy of NIT Rourkela. AOE will never be the same after us. I just have one regret. We could never get the fourteen of us on a single snap.

4. B-Top-Perfection has another synonym.

Was there a more complete wing. I know C-Mid will be after my blood when they see this. But then, when was there competition among friends. The artistry of Amit, the financial genius of Kp, the understated brilliance of Debi, the 200+ IQ of Chirag, the stolid Bhuyan, the hacker-monster-leecher-gamer Zhenga, the simply himself Nuka, the King of good times Gyana, the Mr. Organiser Nk, the pre-evolutionary Pran, the impish Susi and the gentle giant Abhinab. We showed the rest how to have a weekend, didnt we guys.

5. EE-2010.

Period.

On the Wrong Scent

In the yesteryears, there were poachers and there were hounds that sniffed them out. These were the days before technology put paid to the romance associated with tramps and their vagaries. These were the days of Huck Finn and the various unnamed vagabonds. And these were the days when brain triumphed over smell. The tramps used an innocuous yet ingenuous way to ward the hounds off their scent, using smoked herrings to cover their tracks. And hence arrived the term " A Red Herring".

And I loved the concept. I always have found the concept of playing to the part and putting people on the wrong scent perversely pleasurable. And hence the name A Red Herring.

Hey Me...Its Me Again!!

Disclaimer: I write this and hopefully the next thirty posts at the behest or should I say, mortal threats from two of my best friends. Whatever inference may be drawn out of this is to be kept strictly confidential. As for my own vacillating nature, I believe the following fifteen lines are the closest that I can get to permanency.

1. I am a quintessential Libran, as per astrology. I can argue both the faces of a Mobius strip and still find myself in an indecisive morass.

2. Although I am considered an irredeemable optimist, I see pitfalls everywhere. Its a combination of exceptional bad luck and faith in others that I often see myself in those pitfalls.

3. I like talking to myself more than anyone else. And I am generally surprised by the multitude of contradictory voices battling it out inside me.

4. My aim in life is to become literate. In the age of super specialization I prefer to be a Jack-of-all-Trades. I would like to know everything about everything.

5. I love the English language, but regret to see its modern connotations in India. An affected accent and improper grammar hold people in greater stead than proper usage of the language.

6. I believe half the people in the world are blind, and the rest cannot see the truth even if it danced naked in front of them, so wrapped are they in their own perceptions.

7. My anger is imperceptible and often goes unnoticed under the veil of cynicism.

8. For a person who is used to living in a dump, I can be fastidious till the point of ad nauseam.

9. I find the concept of machoism and the associated tenets pre-evolutionary and a flashback from the days of the cave men, where the man with the biggest club was the leader of the pack.

10. Chandler Bing, Andy Dufresne and Cal Trask are my most three favorite characters, respectively drawn from soaps, movies and books.

11. I have a remarkable memory, although I make blatant excuses for a bad memory.

12. I take a perverse pleasure in making myself misunderstood and playing to the part expected out of me.

13. The ideals of politeness and traditional chivalry are endearing to me, while the aura of affected coolness enveloping plain boorishness, equally distasteful.

14. I love smoking and in spite of all the statutory warnings, will continue smoking.

15. Finally, before signing off, Isha and Nick both of you, are a credit to girls all over. Pity that you form a tiny speck of your species. :P

As per popular requests, here I am uploading my latest nondescript self :P